Welcome to Philly!
We both love Philadelphia and hope you are able to take some time to do your own exploring! Below are some of our recommendations of things to do, places to eat and drink, and cool things to see.
Philly is a city with a little bit of everything. Our favorite pastime is wandering the small, historic streets and finding something beautiful, interesting, or unexpected. We've tried to record some of our favorite walking routes which best showcase the unique sides of the city – quiet small streets, mosaic art, or interesting architecture.
If you follow along it will pretty much take you from river to river – Delaware to Schuylkill. If you're feeling ambitious you could even follow it all the way to the famous art museum "Rocky Steps". It’s a pretty great way to spend an afternoon.
Philly has plenty of award winning restaurants including Kalaya for Thai and Zahav (reservations open up on the 1st of the month at 11am, for the entire following month and get filled fast). If you couldn't get a Zahav reservation, Solomonov has several fast casual restaurants including Dizengoff and Goldie or we recommend Suraya for amazing Lebanese food.
4th Street Deli for classic Jewish Deli food, but go hungry, the portions are BIG.
Brunch - Check out Cafe Ole in Old City for shakshuka or Blooms Day Cafe (they have great dinner too) in Society Hill. Middle Child in Washington Square West has great sandwiches (highly recommend). Hawthorne's for amazing brunch and a huge beer selection.
Museums
Art: Philadelphia Museum of Art (think Rocky steps), the Barnes Foundation, and Magic Gardens (tiled attraction on South street by local artist) offer a pretty wide range for all types of art lovers.
Philly is also proudly home to the most murals in the country. Mural Arts Philadelphia, the organization responsible for many of them, offers awesome guided or self-guided tours of the highlights.
Science: The Mutter Museum puts Philly's rich medical history on display with a collection of medical wonders and oddities housed in a historic building in Center City - but it's not for the queasy. The Franklin Institute or Natural History Museum are great for kids. The Please Touch Museum is great for the very young ones.
Some History: Philly's "Most Historic Square Mile" is concentrated around Independence Mall. Its where you'll find Independence Hall (reservations recommended), The Liberty Bell, The National Constitution Center, and The National Jewish History Museum. There are also some great gardens to wander around in.
Outdoor Attractions
Parks: Washington Square or Rittenhouse Square- Two open-space parks within the city. Grab some food or a drink from a nearby shop and enjoy a picnic outside! We suggest Talula's Daily if you stop by Washington Square.
Spruce Street Harbor Park: Located directly outside of the Hilton Penn's Landing Hotel - check out the Harbor Park for a seasonal park with a Boardwalk full of food and beer vendors all located along the Delaware River.
Elfreth's Alley - The nations oldest continuously inhabited residential street dating back to 1703. Also a great excuse to get up into Old City.
Headhouse Farmers Market - Check out the farmers market, about half a mile from the Marriott, held Sundays from 10-2 at the historic Headhouse Shambles, America's oldest surviving Colonial-era market place. The shambles are surrounded by great coffee and brunch spots as well!